Suspension system for ceiling panels



A ril 9, 1963 1-. M. FINDLAY 3,084,401

SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR CEILING PANELS Filed June 17, 1957 I: INVENTOR "T e 720M145 M/Zvam 6 /110 16K ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,084,461 SUSPENSKGN SYSTEM FOR CEILING PANELS Thomas M. Findlay, Port Credit, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to lohns Manville Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed lune 17, 1957, Ser. No. 666,031 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-4} This invention relates to a suspension system for receiving and supporting panels of sound absorbing materials for acoustical traeatment, as well as, other boardlike building materials used for wall surfaces.

In the suspension system of the present invention, the cross members are interlocked to each other and to the main runners by a new and improved structure which provides a tight connection of the cross members in a straight line, requiring no separate fasteners, and which provides for quick and easy installation of the system.

The primary object of the instant invention is to provide a suspension system which presents a novel structure wherein the cross members are interlocked to each other and to the main runners to impart rigidity and uniformity to the supporting structure and to the panel or board-like units placed therein.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a construction of the character described which is easier to install resulting in a considerable saving in cost over the conventional T-bar arrangement.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide a grid construction for supporting wall surfacing or acoustical panels in which the cross members of the grid are readily disconnectable, each cross member being individually removable to give access to the overhead.

The invention will be more fully understood and other objects and many of the attendant advantages thereof will become more apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a suspension assembly embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the suspension system of FIG. 1, illustrating a pair of cross members disposed on opposite sides of a main runner and about to be assembled therewith;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing the two cross members connected to the main runner and locked in place;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of a main runner employed in the framework of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a cross member used in the framework of FIG. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, there is shown a suspension system used, for example, in the acoustical treatment of a wall, particularly the ceiling of a room, which comprises spaced longitudinal main runners extending parallel to each other and supported by hanger wires 12, or the like, at given intervals from the ceiling structure. The spaces between adjacent main runners 10 are spanned at intervals by transverse or cross members 14, secured to the main runners It) in a manner as hereinafter explained, to complete a grid or egg-crate construction.

The main runners 1t and the cross members 14 are of inverted T-shape in cross section and may be stamped rom sheet metal. The vertical web 16 is formed by foldin the sheet metal about a longitudinal axis until strips 18 and 20 are contiguous and have an integral upper longitudinal edge 22. The cross member of the T consists of a laterally projecting flange 24 on the strip 18 and a similar laterally projecting flange 26 on strip 20. The

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flanges 24 and 26 are coplanar and lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of strips 18 and 20. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, each main runner is further formed with vertically extending slots 28 in the web 16, which slots 23 are spaced at intervals along the length of the main runner. Each main runner ltl may further be formed with apertures 34 for passing the hanger wires 12 therethrough in order to suspend the main runners 10 from the ceiling structure. Apertures 32 may also be provided for connecting adjacent main runners or T- bars 14 by couplers (not shown) in the ordinary manner.

As viewed in FIG. 5, the web 16 of a cross member 14 extends beyond the end of the flanges 24 and 26 to form a tongue or extension 34. The tongue 34 is offset, in a plane parallel to the web 16, a distance equal to the thickness of a strip 18 or 20. Therefore, at one end, that portion of tongue 34 formed by extending strip 1o lies in the extended plane of web strip 18. At the other end, the portion of tongue 34 formed by extending strip 18 lies in the extended plane of web strip 16. The lower edge 56 of the tongue 34 lies in a plane immediately above the extended plane of flanges 24- and 26. Each tongue has a reduced longitudinally extended tab 37 which is the portion of the tongue 34 that passes through the slots or apertures 28. Locking means for holding the cross members in assembled position are provided on the tongues 34 and the tabs 37. A pair of spaced lateral protrusions or beads 38 on the tongues 34 and a pair of spaced apertures 40 in the tabs 37 of one cross member cooperate with similar beads and apertures of another cross member to constitute the locking means. The cross members 14 are also formed with apertures 30 for receiving hanger wires 12.

The main runners 1t and the cross members 14- are assembled to form the reticulated grid construction of the suspension system of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The tab 37 of one cross member 14 is passed through a slot 28 in a main runner until the edge of the tongue 34 abuts the web 16 of the runner 19. Then, the tab 37 of another cross member 14 is forcibly passed through the same slot 28 in the opposite direction until its tongue 34 abuts the opposite side of the web 16 and beads 38 nest in apertures 49. In the assembled position the beads 38 on the tongues 34 are all nested in the apertures 40 of the tabs 37 to help form a rigid and uniform structure wherein the webs 16 of adjacent cross members 14 are coplanar. In the locked position, the ends 52 of the flanges '24 and 26 of the cross members 14 abut the edge 54 of either flange 2-4 or 26 of the main runner. Since the lower edge 56 of tongue 34 lies immediately above the extended plane of flanges 24 and 26, all the flanges 24 and 26 of the suspension system in assembled condition are coplanar to present a uniformly smooth lower surface. Thus, in the assembled position, the main runners and the cross members provide a plurality of rigid, uniform, supporting pockets into which acoustical panels 42 may be introduced. These panels are supported along their marginal portions by the flanges 24 and 26.

Adjacent to the Wall structure, as indicated at 44, the panels 42 may be supported by angle bars 46 secured to the wall structure 44 in any suitable manner, such as by screws and the like, as shown in FIG. 1. The cross members 14 extending at one end thereof to the angle bars 46 may have the tabs 37 shortened somewhat so as to be snugly received in slots 43 formed in the angle bars 46 so that lateral movement of the cross runners 14 on the angle bars 46 is prevented. The free ends of tongues 34 abut the angle bars similarly as they do the webs of the main runners in the rest of the construction.

From the above description, it will be appreciated that a light and rigid, readily assembled structure is thus formed,

requiring no separate fasteners for connecting the cross members to the main runners, and sections of which structure may be easily disconnected by simply pulling the cross members apart to cause the locking means to be disengaged. Also, it will be appreciated that the main runners and cross members may be of various other cross sections, such as L-shaped, etc., or may be formed in extruded T- cross section.

It should be further appreciated that, instead of the acoustical panel 42, any type of relatively rigid board-type building material, such as, asbestos board, insulating'board and the like, that could be used for a wall or ceiling surface may be similarly supported by the suspension system of the present invention. If desired, lighting fixtures may be suitably supported bythe flanges 24 and 26.

Having thus described the invention in full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to and that various-changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A suspension system for supporting a plurality of panels forming a ceiling of a room compartment, comprising a horizontally disposed main supporting runner, horizontally disposed cross members disposed on opposite sides of said main runner, said main runner having a vertical web and an aperture in said web, extension means on the adjacent ends of the cross members extending through the aperture, bead means on the extension means of each of the cross members with complementary bead re ceiving means on the extension means of each of the cross members, with the bead meansin the extension means of one cross member disposed within the bead receiving means of theextension means of an adjacent cross member, a pair of said cross members being interlocked with locking bead and complementary bead receiving means on each side of the vertical web of the main runner, and said main runner and cross members providing direct support'for the ceiling panels.

2. An. acoustical suspension system for supporting a plurality of panels comprising a plurality of horizontally disposed main runners and interlocking horizontal cross members forming a reticulated grid construction defining a plurality of supporting pockets, panels fitted within said pockets, each of said runners and cross members being of an inverted T-shape in cross section including a vertical Web and laterally projecting flanges, extensions on each cross member formed beyond the longitudinal ends of the flanges, said extensions being laterally ofiset with respect to the web, each of said main runners having a plurality of vertical slots at spaced intervals along its web, said extensions on adjacent and aligned members extending through the slots so as to be contiguous to each other, a protrusion on each of a pairof contiguous extensions, a recess on each of said pair of contiguous extensions, said protrusions being disposed Within said recesses, with a protrusion and complementary mating recess being disposed on each side of the vertical web of an adjacent runner.

3. A suspension system comprising a room compartment, a plurality of panels forming a ceiling surface of the room compartment, a plurality of horizontally disposed main runners and interlocking horizontally disposed cross members forming a reticulated. grid construction defining a plurality of supporting pockets for ceiling units, each of said runners and members being of inverted T-shape in cross section including a vertical Web and outwardly projecting flanges, said flanges lying in a plane perpendicular to said web, each web of a cross member comprising a pair of continuous strips which are integral along one longitudinal edge and each strip having oneofthe outwardly projecting flanges along the other edge, an extension formed on each end of the web of a cross member, said extensions being laterally offset with respect to said web in opposite directions, each of said main runners having a plurality of vertical slots at spaced intervals along the web, said extensions on the ends of adjacent cross members extending through one of said slots to be contiguous to each other and to saidmain runner, bead means on each extension of each of the cross members, complementary bead receiving means on each extension of each of the cross members, with a pair of cross members being interlocked by having bead means of a cross member disposed within complementary bead receiving means of an adjacent cross member on each side of the vertical web of a main runner, the cross members thereby being retained in place on opposite sides of the main runner.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 465,916 Bonnaffon Dec. 29, 1891 895,809 Stevens Aug. 11, 1908 1,242,202 Keller Oct. 9, 1917 1,779,826 Potter Oct. 28, 1930 1,843,356 Carlough Feb. 2, 1932' 2,095,700 Heede Oct. 12, 1937 2,112,247 McLaughlin Mar. 29, 1938 2,816,623 Wong Dec. 17, 1957 2,903,104 Brown Sept. 8, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 625,273 France Apr. 23, 1927 477,070 Germany May 31, 1929 397,496 Great Britain 1933 

1. A SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF PANELS FORMING A CEILING OF A ROOM COMPARTMENT, COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED MAIN SUPPORTING RUNNER, HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CROSS MEMBERS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MAIN RUNNER, SAID MAIN RUNNER HAVING A VERTICAL WEB AND AN APERTURE IN SAID WEB, EXTENSION MEANS ON THE ADJACENT ENDS OF THE CROSS MEMBERS EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURE, BEAD MEANS ON THE EXTENSION MEANS OF EACH OF THE CROSS MEMBERS WITH COMPLEMENTARY BEAD RECEIVING MEANS ON THE EXTENSION MEANS OF EACH OF THE CROSS MEMBERS, WITH THE BEAD MEANS IN THE EXTENSION MEANS OF 